Just a Couple of Coats

Kyle and Kase have some big news for you!

2011-11-23T08:52:00.002-06:00

The Present

2011-11-15T20:26:00.001-06:00

Don't fall out of your chair... I'm blogging! I got so behind on blogging that I didn't want to spend the time to try and catch up, but I don't want to forget the fun things that are happening so I'm picking back up in the present. And I'll try to go back and hit the major points over the past seven months at some point.

But, for now... the present...

Several months ago I created a reward system for the boys. They would earn a "money" for their bank each time they went potty or did something nice or helpful. We would also take money from their bank if one of them was mean or not listening. Once or twice a week they get to go shopping with their money in the family store.

This morning Kyle got to go shopping in the store because he went potty and also helped me pick up toys. Kase also got to go after he went #2 in the potty... a MAJOR issue with both boys... I don't want to talk about it!

Kyle picked out a Percy (the train) pull back toy, and Kase picked a Mrs. Potato Head. They were both very excited about their new toys and were still playing with them when I got home from work.

Once I got dinner going, Kyle asked me if I wanted to play with him, so I sat down in the entry way and sent Percy back to Kyle each time he was sent to me. Kase was sitting on Kyle's end, playing with Mrs. Potato Head.

On one of Percy's many runs between Kyle and I, he slowed to a stop about half way between us.

Me: "Oh no, looks like Percy ran out of steam."
Kyle: (speaking for Percy) "Oh no, I'm out of steam."
Kase: (speaking for Mrs. Potato Head) "Don't worry, I have more steam in my purse."

Race For The Cure

2011-09-07T07:24:00.001-05:00

The boys and I did the Race for the Cure 5K again this year. This was their 3rd time to participate. Jason wanted in on the fun so he came along for the first time. I was glad he decided to come. It turned out to be a fun family event for us.

I had been telling the boys about the "race" that we were going to be in and dressed them in their "race shirts" that morning. The idea of a race was exciting for them so they were all about it!

Of course, once we got downtown, I realized that the tires on the stroller were looking a little low. Luckily Jason had his portable air compressor with him... a Christmas present from JuJu! Jason had us up and running in no time and we were off to find some fun before the race started.

A bounce house... always a hit with Kyle and Kase!

Time to head to the starting line.

The boys chilled the entire time. We hardly heard a peep out of them! Jenny ran the 10K while we walked the 5K (slackers!) so we were watching and waiting for her to run past us. We met up near the end of the race so we all ran together to the finish.

We needed a cool down after the race so we sat and had some water and snacks while the boys ran around and played.

They boys were invited to a birthday party that morning. Jenny let us shower and get ready at her house so that we could get to the party. Jenny and Lily entertained the boys while Jason and I got ready.

We made it to the party and the boys had fun playing outside.

After the party, we came home and spent even more time outside. I showed the boys how to "paint" the fence with a paintbrush and some water. They ask to paint fence all the time now... I love how busy it keeps them!

Man, what a fun Saturday!

A Visit to Bonnie's Greenhouse

2011-09-06T23:17:00.002-05:00

Some family friends of ours have a great greenhouse and nursery outside of town. Sandra had invited the boys and I out to see it many times, so as soon as I could, I scheduled it into our week and off we went.

The boys had a great time and were actually pretty good listeners that day! It may have had something to do with the 30 minute conversation that we had on the way there!

There are several horses that live on the neighboring property. The boys watched as Johnny hand fed them apples. They were in heaven... the horses and the boys!

Bonnie's is such a cute place... well worth the drive! I left with several plants, some vegetables, and a few herbs, but let's not talk about what is still alive!

Easter Sunday

2011-09-02T22:29:00.002-05:00

After the boys woke up Sunday morning, they got to check out what the Easter Bunny left them.

They each got some sand shovels, a harmonica, a tambourine, and other goodies.

Once we showed them that the Easter Bunny also left eggs, the hunt began.

In normal Kase fashion, he got hung up on the first egg.

Lara spotted these cute suits on clearance at Target last year. I've been waiting all year to dress the boys up in them. I kept telling them that they looked so handsome and they just ate it up!

Kyle wasn't in the best mood at this point!

Believe it or not... this was one of the better shots!

After church, I tried to get a picture of the two of them in their suits. At least they were in better moods!

And now they are just showing off!

And the hunt is on... again!

Second try at a picture of me and my boys...

After church we went to my parents' house for Easter dinner. They Easter Bunny had made a stop there as well!

This time he brought tractors!

And time to eat! My Dad made that table and chairs for me when I was little. I love them!

All three sitting up... all three asleep!

And the hunt is on... again!

And in Breyer Family Easter tradition... the big kid egg hunt.

Lara and her family came over for dessert. Kase gives excellent hugs... old ladies just love him up!

Another year, another great time with friends and family on Easter!

Hare cuts!!

2011-08-21T10:16:00.000-05:00

We had a busy Saturday planned for April 23.

I made the boys wear the Easter Bunny shirts I made again (won't be the last time), and we met my mom at the salon for haircuts. Kyle has never really enjoyed getting his hair cut. He usually has to sit on my lap and wines the entire time. This time he was so pumped about getting his hair cut. I think he saw a Dora episode about getting a hair cut and he talked non-stop about how his hair was "too long" and that he needed a hair cut.

I figured that his hair cut phobia was over and this appointment would be smooth sailing. Wrong! Kyle never cried more.

He was fine once we got in the car.

Kyle: "I got my hair cut!" (said with so much enthusiasm)
Me: "I know, did you like getting it cut?"
Kyle: "YES!!!"

Could have fooled me!

From the salon, we headed to Trinity for their Easter egg hunt. Lara's parents were helping out with it and were able to help me keep track of both of my kids!

Kase always gets the first egg and has to stop and see what is in it. He rarely ends up looking for a second egg! He must have gotten a little help though, because his bucket was pretty full by the end.

After the hunt, the kids went inside for stacks and a coloring contest.

They had a great time hunting eggs and we had a fun Saturday.

Thanks for the invite and the help, Tom and Sheila!

Easter Play Date

2011-08-10T22:06:00.004-05:00

On April 20th, we invited some of our friends over for an Easter play date.

I made some yummy food for both the Moms and the kids. Those are my favorite spinach cupcakes there! So sneaky!

I borrowed a table from church so that all the shorties would have a place to eat and get crafty.

I made an Easter milk jug top matching game for everyone to play with and then take home with them.

After snacks, the kids got busy decorating a picture of an Easter egg with dot markers.

Cooper watched!

Then, the kids decorated some cupcake liners...

and while they played...

the Moms turned the cupcake liners into this!

Since I made a sample ahead of time and Kyle and Kase each made another, they decided to give one to their Gibi and one to their Grammy for an Easter gift.

HE IS RISEN!!!!

Maroon and White Game

2011-08-04T09:02:00.003-05:00

On April 16th, we drove down to College Station with Jason's parents for the Maroon and White game... the game in the Spring when the defense plays the offense... a guaranteed win! Jason and I have purchased season tickets for the second year, and we thought this would be a good opportunity to take the boys to a game and see how they would do (admission was $5 versus $80 plus). We eventually want to get four season tickets so that the entire family can go to the games. We found out this is not the year to do it! The boys aren't quite ready.

We talked up the trip to Kyle Field for weeks so they were very excited about going and seeing the Aggies.

Which way to Kyle Field?
That way!

HEB was there, passing out fruit, so we had a little snack before going into the stadium.

The first few minutes were exciting, but after the popcorn was gone, the boys were not happy to sit (stand) and watch the Aggies play.

After we snapped these pictures, I ended up chasing them all around Kyle Field looking for Gators. During the second half, I was pretty worn out so I walked them over to an abandoned Gator and let them climb all over it for almost an hour. While they played, I rehearsed my plea for the official who I just knew was going to come yell at us. Luckily, he never came!

Near the end of the game, we headed back to our seats. When it was over we walked down to the field so that Kyle could walk on Kyle Field for the first time.

I wanted to get a cool shot of Kyle with Kyle Field in the back ground. I need improvement... and I'm sure I'll get more practice soon.

Let the brainwashing begin!

Popcorn and a Movie

2011-08-03T08:57:00.001-05:00

One Friday night, it was just me and the boys and I tried to come up with something special for us to do. We had some time between bath and bedtime so I popped up some popcorn and we snuggled down on the couch and watched Toy Story 3 for a while.

I don't think they made it to bed on time, but look at those smiles... so worth it!

Cruisin'

2011-08-02T20:51:00.006-05:00

On April 2nd, Jenny, Rock, Jason and I left for a Caribbean cruise out of Galveston. Eric and Rachel met us in Galveston and went too. My parents were rock stars and kept the boys for the six days that we were gone. It was so nice to have a break and only be responsible for us.

I don't have many pictures because I didn't take my good camera out of the room and who knows where my point and shoot even ended up! So here are a bunch of pictures of us on the way to dinner.

Ah, what a fun vacay! I can't wait to go again! Thanks Mom and Dad!

My Mr. Fix Its

2011-07-23T10:48:00.003-05:00

I tried to explain to the boys that the reason their 4-wheelers would not work was that the batteries had run down. They took it upon themselves to try and fix them!

Jason charged the batteries over night and they were back in business the next day. I'm sure their tool tinkering must have helped too.

Oh, and then we had a potty break... outside....

Stick It To Me

2011-07-22T07:45:00.005-05:00

The boys have found my gift closet!

One day when I wasn't looking, someone snuck in there and pulled out a huge Melissa and Doug sticker book that I had stashed away. It quickly became a gift for Kyle and Kase.

Once I rounded everyone out of the gift closet, I attempted to make dinner with two kids under foot. I promptly announced that it was Sticker Time with Dad!

Kyle had a page of wild animal stickers and Kase's were construction trucks. Jason helped the boys get the stickers off of the pages and then drew in grass and trees for Kyle and roads and buildings for Kase.

They loved getting to play with Dad and I loved not tripping over a kid on the way to the refrigerator!

A win-win!

A Day Out With Thomas

2011-07-21T10:28:00.006-05:00

On March 26th, Jason, my parents, and I took the boys up to Grapevine for A Day Out With Thomas. Their friends, Mase and Asa (and their Moms) were able to make the trip too. The boys were beyond excited because I had really been talking it up... and the LOVE Thomas.

There was off-site parking a few blocks away from the event so we had to be shuttled from the parking lot. Kyle and Kase were pumped to get to ride on a bus... and we hadn't even made it to the event yet!

There was a petting zoo near the entrance that we hit up first.

Kyle still talks about how that duck splashed him!

The boys got Thomas the Train tattoo stickers, and we walked around until it was our turn to take a ride on Thomas.

"Choo Choo!"

Cari and Mase

The best we got of all four boys...

After our train ride we visited the gift shop, and walked away with two engineer caps.... thanks Grandpa!

The boys also slid down this Thomas slide MANY times and had lots of fun at the multiple train tables.

They had a great day and I'm so glad that we were able to take them. The Day Out With Thomas tour will be back in Texas in September. I think we will try and take them again.

Grandpa's Chair

2011-07-20T10:26:00.000-05:00

Kyle is quick to let anyone who sits in this chair know that it is Grandpa's chair and that they shouldn't sit there. I guess the rule does not apply to him!

Family Reunion

2011-07-19T12:42:00.000-05:00

On March 19th we loaded up the boys (and their bikes)and headed to China Spring for a family reunion.

There were lots of open space for the boys to run around in and lots of cousins to give them attention. They were pretty much in heaven.

There was tons of great food, but the boys stuck to the chips... typical these days!

St. Patricks's Day Make Up

2011-05-08T22:45:00.006-05:00

Anyone remember last St. Patrick's Day when I took the boys to story time at the library... with not a stitch of green on them?

Yeah, me either!

Well, I totally made up for it this year!

First I made some green cupcakes. I found the idea here. There is spinach hidden inside that makes them green! And the boys LOVE them. "More green cupcake!" I've made them several times since St. Patrick's Day. I started making them in the mini cupcake liners so they are the perfect size. And I love they they don't have icing... no mess! I made some personalized gift boxes, and we shared them with our neighbors.

Next, I made this counting game with magnets, milk jug lids, and a metal stove top burner cover.

And the most fun St. Patrick's Day activity... a scavenger hunt. Complete with a pot of gold at the end! Those are yellow mini M&Ms!

I made up these clues with prepositions, pictures and color words instead of the classic riddle clues. We aren't quite there yet!

I stayed up way too late setting this up, but I knew the boys would have fun!

When the boys woke up, I showed them the clue taped to their bedroom door. I read it to them and they knew exactly what to do. So into the kitchen we ran!

And then to the bathroom...

and the playroom...

the living room...

entry way...

and back to the playroom for their pots of gold! That little red vacuum really threw them for a loop a couple of clues earlier! My mistake!

Then I showed them the counting games.

And they got to open presents.

They got a Melissa and Doug tool puzzle and also a number maze.

I had gotten an email from the zoo promoting their "green" day on St. Patrick's Day. There was going to be a special conservation talk at the tiger exhibit at 10am. Kyle loves the tigers! They are the first and last animals we visit each trip. I tried my hardest to get us dressed and through the front gates before 10:00, but someone had other plans!

The boys were dressed, ready to go, and watching TV on the couch while I walked into the garage to load the stroller into the back of my car. I went to walk back inside to grab the boys and go, but the door was locked. I quickly learned that Kase can turn the dead bolt.

I tried to coax him, through the door, to turn the lock again in the other direction, but there was no getting through to him. And I was on time! Even early! It was going to be a miracle!

Kase started to freak out on the other side of the door because he could hear me, but not get to me. I walked around to the playroom window because it has a window seat and the boys are always standing up there, playing with the window locks. They were locked, along with every other window and door in our house. I knocked on the playroom window until Kyle came running in there. He was very excited about the game we were playing and even listened to my instructions to climb up on the window seat and unlock the window. Flip! First lock open. He pried the other one about half way, but lost interest after about 5 minutes.

Finally, I walked across the street with my tail between my legs, and asked our neighbor, Amy, if I could borrow her phone to free my children from our house. While Jason drove home from work, Amy tried to help me bribe Kyle with candy to unlock the window. Kyle was not interested. The candy did come in handy though... after Jason got home and let us in, we found a very distraught Kase. The candy was the only thing able to calm him down. I decided that he deserved the entire box after that ordeal.

I could have (should have) taken all of that as a sign that we should not have gone to the zoo and stayed home instead, but I didn't! And we even made it in time for the tail (pun intended) end of the tiger talk.

I think the tiger gods rewarded me for all my hard work that morning. I have never seen the tigers so active. The zoo keepers must have put something special in their breakfast!

The zoo was packed with tons of school groups, so we didn't stay all that long, but the boys had a great time.

This St. Patrick's Day was super fun. I love getting to do fun stuff like this. And I know the boys will probably not even remember the hard work I put into it, but maybe one day they will read this and know how lucky I am to have them!

A Little Change of Scenery

2011-05-07T22:49:00.010-05:00

We have been blessed with such nice weather lately, and the boys have spent lots of time outside. We have a great, fenced in, back yard so the boys can play outside by themselves. There are several windows along the back of the house so I am able to keep a close eye on them and still get some things done inside.

For some reason (to make my life difficult), the boys would rather play in the front yard. It is not a big deal because we live on a cul-de-sac, with very little traffic, and there are side walks. But when they are playing in the front yard and I'm home alone with them, I can't run inside and leave them alone with the street just a few steps away. It just makes me too nervous. At some point they will be old enough, but not now.

So, I'm always trying to get them in the back yard, and they are always trying to roam free in the front yard. One Tuesday night, when Jason was out with friends and they boys were being super cranky, I announced that we were going to eat our dinner in the front yard. Cheers all around! So I pulled the picnic table around and brought out their plates and cups and they ate their dinner in the front yard. Except when I pulled out a camp chair to sit on while I watched them eat, they decided they needed their camp chairs as well. I obliged... wasn't worth an argument!

Our Spring Break Staycation

2011-05-06T22:37:00.008-05:00

The first couple of weeks of March were Spring Break for the schools around Waco. That means the zoo, children's museum, bounce place, library, parks, and any other place I would want to take the boys were super crowded with kids out of school. So we didn't leave the house much. Luckily, the weather was pretty nice outside and I was able to throw together some new activities for us to do inside.

I found some random magnetic strips that I had saved in the office and stuck them to the top of these lids that I had collected. The boys had fun moving them from one cookie sheet to another. And we also talked about what color each lid was, which ones were smaller, and which ones were bigger.

I also pulled out a package of pom poms that I picked up at the Target One Spot. I gave the boys two clothes pins and an empty egg carton. They picked up the pom poms with the clothes pins and placed them in the egg carton as we practices counting them. The clothes pins were a little difficult for them to use and kept falling apart (they were the cheap ones). I'm going to look for either some really big plastic tweezers or some small tongs for them to use.

And my last idea... I made several cards out of some scrapbook paper, pulled out some extra envelopes, and gave the boys some of those return address labels that you get in the mail. The boys put together some letters and then sent them out in their mailbox.

It's Potty Time

2011-05-05T22:30:00.002-05:00

I just have to document this! On March 9, 2011 Kase Coats used the potty!

I have not started potty training yet, but every once in a while Kase takes off his diaper and wants to sit on the potty. I left him sitting in the living room and went into the kitchen to work on dinner. When I checked on him a few minutes later, there was pee in the potty. I made a huge deal about it, but Kase didn't think it was all that cool.

Ice Ice Baby

2011-05-04T22:19:00.002-05:00

One day after work, Jason was outside mowing the grass and I was inside trying to make dinner. TRYING... the boys were being super needy and whiny.

I read online about this little activity. You put several ice cubes in a big bowl and give the kids slotted spoons and smaller bowls to transfer the ice to. I was sure it would make a huge mess (and it did), but I was desperate for something to keep the boys attention... even if only for5 minutes.

I think they played with the ice for at least 20 minutes. And there was minimal fighting. They did get their clothes kinda wet, and the floor was soaked, but that was an easy clean up. Easy enough that I'd do this again sometime.

Kase gets such a determined look on his face when he does stuff like this. Cracks me up!

Happy Birthday, Grace Ann

2011-05-03T21:36:00.002-05:00

Jason and I took the boys to Grace Ann's first birthday party on February 20. They had fun running around with all the other kids and eating cupcakes.

Near the end of the party, Kelly had the awesome idea to slide down the big hill in their backyard. Kelly tried it out first, and then some of the older kids joined in. I thought there was no way Kyle and Kase would be big enough or even want to slide down. Yeah, I was wrong. They loved it!

They would get to the bottom, and Kyle would both scream and sign "More, more!" What a fun party!

A New Love... And It Isn't Basketball

2011-05-02T21:33:00.008-05:00

On a random Saturday in February, our neighbor, Jamie, called to see if we could use some extra Baylor basketball tickets that she had. Jason couldn't go, so Lala helped me take the boys to their first collegiate basketball game. The game was smack in the middle of nap time so we went with little expectations.

The boys did well the first few minutes of the game, but then Lara went for back up... popcorn!

Kase was a fan! A big fan! Kyle liked it too, but didn't get a chance to sample too much!

After the popcorn was gone, the boys were not all about the basketball. We ended up leaving not long after half time, but it was a fun, new experience. And that's what is important to me!

Thanks for the tickets, Jamie. And thanks for the help, Lala.

Sweet, Sweet Babies

2011-05-01T21:39:00.001-05:00

Is there anything sweeter? I don't think so!

Bath Bribes

2011-04-30T20:47:00.000-05:00

The boys still like the bath, but they don't always like to stop what they are doing to take a bath. I'm always looking for cool bath toys to try and entice the boys to come inside and take a bath.

I saw this on Amazon and knew that the boys would love it. It pumps water up from the bathwater, out a spout, and into different cups. It is a huge hit.

And we have gone through many packages of bath crayons, bath markers, and bath paint. The boys always want us to draw Mom's car, or Dad's truck, or a train, or a trash truck, or a ball (easy... love that one!).

And the bribe of all bribes... suckers! Some nights I'll do whatever it takes!

The Future Mrs. Coats??

2011-04-25T23:50:00.003-05:00

The next day, Sunday, we invited friends over for some football and food. Jason got a new smoker and was trying it out for the first time.

Our friends, Arron and Kelly, have a little girl named Grace Ann. She is just the sweetest thing! And I think she may marry one of the boys one day!

Kyle showed off with his throwing skills.

Kyle kept a close eye on Grace Ann's Dad... he's a strict one!

Kase started throwing a little game too.

"No, pick me, pick me!

Would you look at that face!?

Kyle, playing hard to get!

Birthday Parties and Big Boy Beds

2011-04-23T23:33:00.001-05:00

I've made it to January 22... Watch out, I'm on a roll!!

We had big plans the weekend after our Kansas trip as well.

The boys had shared a twin bed, while in Kansas, so Jason and I decided to ditch the toddler beds and transition to a full size bed. So, Saturday morning the four of us headed to Sam's to buys a mattress set for the boys. The trip was actually quite the disaster... I'm not sure why we thought taking the boys along was a good idea. But, we managed to leave with a new mattress and many more items that we may or may not have needed!

We drove home, dropped the mattress off, and then headed back north to travel to Mesquite for Avery's 3rd birthday party. There were rumors that Elmo would be there! I had been talking it up to the boys (using it as bribe material) for a week! I was just as happy as the boys when Elmo arrived!

Elmo sat by the birthday girl as we sang Happy Birthday... and there was Kase, sitting right by Elmo! He loved Elmo and gave him hug after hug.

Elmo sat down to take pictures with all the guests. Kase brought Elmo a bus! And then a car. And then some blocks. He LOVED Elmo!

Kase could have sat and chilled there all day! Kyle was on to the next thing.

Kase and Abby were talking on their cells.

We headed back home after the party. While we were gone, Gibi and Grandpa had been hard at work. My Mom searched all of Waco for the bed rails we needed to turn one of the cribs into a full size bed. And then my Dad set up the new bed.

Kase, the monkey, had a field day climbing over the new mattress.

He was horizontal at one point!

Kyle was busy helping Grandpa with his cool tools. I'm pretty sure this is when the tool obsession began. Now he is always fixing something with his "cool tools."

Nap time and bed time can still be a struggle, but seeing the boys snuggled up to each other is the cutest thing ever!

Cousins In Kansas

2011-04-22T14:49:00.010-05:00

Usually things slow down after Christmas, but not for the Coats Family. The Thursday after the boys' party we left for Kansas. We had a brand new family member that we could not wait to meet. The drive to Jason's brother, Ben's, house was supposed to take around 8 hours. Somehow we managed to stretch it out to over 10. We were so happy to pull up to the other Coats house!

It was past the boys' bedtime when we got there, so we planned to put on pajamas and put the boys to bed. The boys were not so into that plan once they saw all of Madie's toys. They had to give everything a try before they agreed to go to bed.

The next two days were filled with lots of laid back fun. We didn't have an agenda and just let the boys and Madison play the days away.

We had nice weather while we were there so Ben and Jason set up this bounce house for all the kids to play in. They loved it.

Madison's cousin, Dasan, was staying with them while both his parents were serving in the military overseas. Kase got quite the kick out of Dasan's trombone practice.

We brought the iPad to entertain the boys while driving, but Madie became quite the fan as well. The boys introduced her to Olivia and Blues Clues!

Rub a dub dub! Three cousins in the tub! My Mom has a picture just like this of my sister and I in the tub with my cousin. If I were mean, I'd post it! But, I'm scared of the pay back Chad would come up with!

Kase made himself at home and helped himself to any snacks that looked good!

"Soft touches" I think we said that a million times. The boys loved baby Ashley.

All the boys!

I'm so glad we had nice weather to play outside with Madison in.

She even shared her pink swing!

The last night we were there, we headed down to the basement after dinner to have one last Christmas present exchange. I was holding Ashley as she slept, and Kase came in for a little snuggle as well.

Madie was about to bust with excitement at the thought of more presents to open!

The boys got a toy vacuum and broom from Madison. I think she got tired of them playing with her vacuum the entire visit!

We had a great visit. I'm glad the boys got to play with Madison and we all loved getting to meet baby Ashley. Jason and I enjoyed staying up (way too) late and talking with Ben and Wendy. We can't wait to see them again this summer.

"Hi Wok"

2011-03-31T23:31:00.002-05:00

James "Jimmy the Rock" Nelson... known to Kyle and Kase as Wok.

Party Time

2011-03-24T21:43:00.014-05:00

My parents brought the boys to the party, all dressed and ready to go. There was no way I would have been able to deal with getting them ready... I was so behind. **Note... these were not the shirts I planned for the boys to wear. I ordered (in plenty of time) cute shirts with their names and a dump truck in the same colors as the party, but they were lost in the US Postal Service for several days and arrived the Monday after the party. Oh well, the boys still love to wear their "dump truck shirts!"

The boys got their hats and tool belts and got to walk around and see all the activity stations before any of the guests arrived.

And of course they had to knock down the big tower that Uncle RyRy built for them.

Kase did not understand the concept of using his toys as decoration...

As friends arrived, I handed out their hard hat and tool belt and told them to go wild. There was no agenda or plans, just free play.

Oh, how I wish I would have bought 15 of these cardboard houses. The kids LOVED it!

Rachel was getting built into a tower.

Luckily, the heroic Kyle came to free her and destroy the tower... again!

The kids loved this activity too. I should drag all of this stuff back out and let Kyle and Kase hammer away the day.

A shot of the entire room... total chaos! It was great!

I think Trigger was the only kid to "get" my rock quarry!

Our great neighbors!

Rock got his own personal hardhat.... what a mistake. I can't count the number of ADULTS who came up to me asking for their own special hard hat. Like I didn't have anything else to do!

A close up of the cake... with the candle that Jamie had to grab for me at the last minute. Really? I forgot the candle?

See, I told you all the kids loved the cardboard house!

I think everyone had a good time at the party. I had lots of fun planning it, but I'm glad I only ever have to plan one a year! Happy 2nd birthday, Kyle and Kase!

Coats Construction - The Set Up

2011-03-11T14:21:00.013-06:00

I'm aware that I went a little overboard, but I love how everything turned out and everyone had so much fun. The theme was construction... trucks, tools, building stuff. The colors were orange, yellow, and black.

I found tons of cute ideas to go along with the construction theme, and I had lots of people helping me make those ideas come to life. Jamie and I stayed up way too late, way too many nights. And we even had Jason and Marc snipping threads one night after the boys were in bed.

Jason and I went to Dallas for the Cotton Bowl and came back the morning of the party. I enlisted the help of Jenny, Rock, Lara, Megan and Ryan to get everything set up. There is no way I would have gotten it together with out their help.

Everyone got a custom made (by Jamie) tool belt... filled with tools (crayons).

And a personalized hard hat.

The food table...

Lara made the cake... it was amazing! Jenny made the "boulders"... those yummy oreo truffle things!

We had "wrecking balls" (clementines), "support beams" (pretzel rods), along with cheese balls, candy corn, lemon heads, carrot sticks and any other random food that matched my color scheme.

The company water bottles.

I wanted the party to be a fun free for all, so I set up different activity stations and the kids could go around and play whereever they wanted.

Wood and nails... styrofoam blocks and golf tees.

Coloring pages and construction puzzles.

Moving rocks with dump trucks. Jenny was in charge of drawing the road... she took it a little far and drew an entire town. She was quite proud of her work!

Building a house... coloring with their tools (crayons).

And brick construction. Ryan's mom still has these awesome blocks from when he was a kid. The boys played with them once when we were over for dinner, and they loved them. She was nice enough to let us borrow them for the party.

And a little parting gift after all of that hard work. There was a package of tool shaped gummy snacks, a construction activity book, a tool squirt toy, and other stuff that I can't remember!

Now, we just need the kids!

Doctor Visit

2011-03-10T22:23:00.001-06:00

The boys had their 24 month check up on January 7th. I always forget to post the boys' stats from their check ups. So... I'm doing it all now. Just for reference!

15 Month Check Up:
Kase: 33 inches 90-95th percentile
24.6 pounds 25-50th percentile
Kyle: 34 inches >95th percentile
26.6 pounds 50-75th percentile

18 Month Check Up:

Kase: 34.25 inches 90- 95th percentile
27 pounds 50-75th percentile
Kyle: 34.25 inches 90-95th percentile
28.7 pounds 75-90th percentile

24 Month Check Up:

Kase: 36.75 inches 95th percentile
29.6 pounds 50-75th percentile
Kyle: 37.25 inches >95th percentile
30.4 pounds 75-90th percentile

So, yeah.... They are tall. Big surprise!

And because no post is complete with out a picture...

Why do I even try?!

New Beds

2011-03-09T22:09:00.010-06:00

After Kase kept crawling out of his crib (even with the mattress sitting on the floor, inside the crib) we decided that we had to change his crib to a toddler bed. He had always been able to lower himself down safely, but the day was coming when he was going to fall on his head. Plus he kept crawling out of his crib and into Kyle's and waking Kyle up.

At first, we only had Kase's crib turned into a bed. Obviously that didn't solve the problem of Kase getting into Kyle's bed.

So then, we changed Kyle's bed also. The first week with toddler beds was awful. There was nothing we could bribe or threaten with that would keep them in their beds. Naps were non existent. It was light in their room during naps, so there was just too much to mess with. And I'm not even talking about toys (there are none in their bedroom), but books to spread out, pillows to throw around the room, dresser drawers to empty, blinds to play with, and a glider and ottoman to climb all over.

Sometimes bedtime was ok... usually because they didn't get a nap and were so tired. Those were fun days to come home from work!

And Kyle was always wanting to sleep in Kase's bed. He knew it was Kase's. I'd put him down in his bed and he would say, "No, Dase bed." So for a few nights they would sleep in the same toddler bed. And whoever was on the outside would usually end up falling out.

I missed the cribs so much. And I missed their 7PM bedtime. And being able to hire a sitter to be at the house while they slept so that we could go out.

There is that white blanket that I talked about in the last post...

But, would you look at that face... He thinks he is pretty hot stuff, being able to walk right out of their bedroom after I've put him to bed for the 100th time.

I can remember asking my Mom... "It has to get better, right?" And it did... eventually. But, I still miss the cribs!

Cool Tent

2011-03-08T22:06:00.005-06:00

Years ago, my Grandma Breyer made my sisters and I each blankets. Mine is white with flowers all over it. It is a nice blanket for watching TV on the couch because it keeps you warm, but still stays cool to the touch. Know what I'm talking about?

Well, the boys, especially Kyle, grew very fond of it as well. Kyle will whine for "white blanket" all the time. He even wanted me to cover him up with it in his crib. The blanket is huge, so I had to drape most of it over the side of his crib so that he would not get too hot.

One day, while playing in his crib, not sleeping, I draped the entire blanket over the sides and declared that it was a "cool tent." Both boys loved this, and we played "cool tent" in one of their cribs or on the couch all the time.

After being stuck inside for most of the weekend, I decided that we would all bundle up and play "cool tent" outside... with a REAL tent!

**Note** We did not get a dog! That is our neighbor's dog, Pearl. They were out of town and we were giving her some attention while they were gone. The boys LOVE Pearl!

The tent was a huge hit and the boys played in it until it got too cold outside. It stayed up in the back yard for a couple of weeks, and I found all kinds of toys inside once it was time to take it down.

Happy New Year!

2011-03-07T14:19:00.004-06:00

Because I was behind on things, (surprise, surprise) our Christmas card became a New Year's card.

And here are some of my favorite shots from our photo shoot with Rachel...

Happy Birthday, Kyle and Kase!

2011-03-07T09:42:00.006-06:00

December 31, 2010

Well, we made it another year! And I can't believe that my babies are two. I really love this age though. They are so innocent and get so excited about the littlest things... like seeing a fuel tanker on the highway, new Thomas pajamas ($3 clearance! Whoop!), or walking outside to see a bucket truck in our drive way. Sure there are ridiculous fits and tantrums, but those are easy to forget. The faces of awe, the "love you mamas", and the uncontrollable giggles stick with you!

My parents and Jason's parents came over for an early dinner and some birthday celebrating. The boys got to open even more presents and birthday cards.

After lunch, they were presented with their very odd looking birthday cakes... Sorry about that boys! It was a crazy busy week!

Kyle loved blowing out the candles, but he blew upwards instead of out.

**Funny Story** One time while at communion at church, Kyle tried to blow out the candles on the alter that were like 10 feet away!

The cakes may not have looked the best, but they tasted delicious! The boys each got a piece and then shared the rest with the adults.

After cake, the boys got to ride their bikes outside a bit.

My parents took the boys for the night so that Jason and I could celebrate New Year's Eve. We had a great time and enjoyed the night off.

And One Last Christmas

2011-03-06T21:27:00.006-06:00

Sometime after lunch on Christmas day, we drove over to my parent's house. There were even more presents for the boys and even more food to eat.

My parents got the boys a train table, which they love. My Dad put the table together and set up the track exactly like the picture on the box showed.

Jenny got the boys Strider bikes. They are little bikes that have no training wheels and no pedals. The boys can walk their feet along the ground to move forward. The bikes are supposed to teach balance so that the rider can learn to ride a regular bike more easily. The boys knew immediately which bike was theirs... blue for Kyle, green for Kase. I thought it was funny that they had picked up on my color coding!

Megan and Ryan got the boys a big AquaDoodle mat. It is awesome! You can color on it using a pen filled with water. It is pretty much impossible to make a mess!

When purchasing himself a new Gator, Grandpa decided that the boys needed to have a mini version of their own. So he bought them one. They were beyond excited to see what awaited them behind the garage door.

Kyle was just fine, sitting on Grandpa's lawn mower (tractor).

But, Kase was intrigued!

He would drive it a few feet and then stop, get out, and walk around it. It was like he couldn't believe it was real. We were getting a kick out of watching him!

Since then, Grandpa has purchased another mini gator. A co-worker let him know about a deal at Academy, and he couldn't resist. I'm sure he knew that fighting over just one gator was inevitable.

And now at the slightest mention of Gibi or Papa's house, the boys immediately ask to "ride tractor?"

What a GREAT Christmas!

Christmas Day

2011-03-05T21:22:00.004-06:00

Later that morning, Jason's parents, Aunt, and cousin came over. Beth brought some breakfast stuff over and then we worked on opening more presents.

The boys got a bowling set, a baseball tee, bats and balls, Cars the movie, some Little People animals, and tons more that I can't remember!

After we got all the presents open, we had steak and mashed potatoes for lunch.

Christmas Morning

2011-03-04T20:59:00.005-06:00

Jason and I were very excited to get the boys up Christmas morning. It was so fun watching the boys tear through all of their gifts. I didn't distinguish between Mom and Dad presents and Santa presents so we just had one big present fest.

We started with stockings.

I know I was crazy, putting recorders in their stockings, but I knew they would love them. And they do!

The Dora bubbles were a huge hit.

The best feature of our couch has got to be the built in race track! I'd buy it again for as much use as it has gotten!

Then the real presents! It was hard to get the boys to keep opening gifts. They would open one and want to play with it right away.

The boys got several Melissa and Doug puzzles, Tag Jr. readers and storage cases, several Tag Jr. books, a basketball goal for the bath tub, Leap Frog text messagers, sidewalk chalk, more Color Wonder books and markers, and Texas A&M jerseys.

Jason surprised me with an Ipad. I didn't even know I wanted one, but I love it! I'm sure I've used it everyday since I got it.

I didn't get him anything quite as cool. He got a pop up trash can for tailgating, a couple shirts, a new belt, golf balls, and a vintage Sports Illustrated with some old Texas A&M player on the front.

Christmas Eve

2011-03-03T20:51:00.005-06:00

We had plans for a relaxing Christmas Eve Day. Kase had other plans. While I was in the shower and Jason was (still) getting up, Kase broke into the fence that we put up around the Christmas tree, presents, and electrical component stand.

Kase got in plenty of practice opening presents. He tore through the wrapping of about 20 presents under the tree. I posted a picture of the destruction on Facebook and my (awesome) neighbor, Jamie, came over and re-wrapped all the gifts while I tried to get our house clean.

We met my parents, Megan and Ryan, and Jenny at church for the candle light service. After church everyone came over to our house and ate Chicken Spaghetti, that my Mom brought over. After we ate, we put the boys to bed. It was way past their bedtime.

Then, the adults were able to exchange gifts with out two noisy toddlers wanting attention. And I don't have a single picture from the night.

More Presents!

2011-03-02T08:12:00.001-06:00

Another knock at the door produced more presents for the boys to open. I hope they don't get used to this.

Each Christmas my Aunt Cindy organizes the Great Wardenburg Name Exchange! (**Note** My Aunt Cindy is so on top of things... she even sends out real birthday cards! Who can remember to do that!? My sisters and I have always had an Aunt Cindy competition... who could be the most Aunt Cindy like. I think we all fail!) Anyway, there is a big family reunion in Nebraska, usually the Saturday after Christmas, when everyone eats delicious food and exchanges their gifts. We don't usually make it to Nebraska at Christmas time, so our gifts get mailed. My cousin's daughter, Jenna, had Kyle's name, and again I couldn't make the boys wait to open the gift she sent.

Thomas The Train bath boys. We had such nice weather in December that these actually became outside play toys first. They now live in the bath tub and we practice remembering each train's name (always printed on the bottom.... love that!), the color of each train, and counting the trains... just about EVERY SINGLE NIGHT!

A Tag Jr. book about Thomas and Percy being best friends. (**Another Note** Just the other night Kyle and Kase started putting their arms around each other and saying "best friends." I think they got that from this book.)

And a Thomas that talks and whistles when you push his funnel. Kase took that one over as his toy even though it was all technically Kyle's. One of the many phrases the toy says is "Hello, I'm Thomas." Kase would mimic Thomas and then I taught him to say "Hello, I'm Kase!" All in his incredibly cute Kase voice... I die!

I know it is March now, and I'm still not done with Christmas... thanks for sticking with me!

Punishment?

2011-03-01T17:09:00.001-06:00

While I turned my back for one nano-second, Kase attempted to turn their table brown with a (washable) crayon. I have told the boys that we "only color on paper" hundreds of time. Really, like hundreds.

So to really make my point, I decided that I would make Kase clean the crayon off the table.

He could not have been more excited to do so. Punishment fail!

Then he wanted to clean the windows too. Do you think he was trying to tell me something?

And Kyle had to join in too.

I suppose there are worse things than your children wanting to wash the windows. If only this excitement for cleaning would last into their teenage years!

Sometimes My Crafty Ideas Actually Make It To Fruition!

2011-02-24T08:02:00.004-06:00

I read several craft blogs and long to be the type of person who whips up a playhouse for their kids using nothing but cereal boxes, junk mail, and an old console TV found on the side of the road. I am so not that person, but I am quite proud of this idea.

We go though quite a bit of milk at our house, and I started saving the tops to the milk jugs a while back. I had quite the collection going. I made the boys a little activity to work on their gross motor skills, matching skills, and color identification.

Using Microsoft Publisher, I inserted a clip art image of a Christmas tree and then some filled in circles to look like ornaments. I printed two copies onto card stock and laminated them.

Kyle knew exactly what to do. Kase caught on, but wasn't in the mood to sit still at the time.

I have dozens more milk jug lids so I need to think of more projects to make with them. Let me know if you have any ideas for me! Do you have a favorite craft blog?

Because There Is Nothing That They Won't Get Into...

2011-02-23T08:51:00.002-06:00

...even the beach towels!

They both covered up with beach towels and tried to say "night night" while giggling uncontrollably! Oh, to be almost two year olds!

And The Presents Begin

2011-02-22T19:24:00.001-06:00

This may sound odd, but we have a really great UPS man! Larry has delivered to us at work for years, and now that we live in Lorena, he delivers to us at home too.

Anytime the doorbell rings the boys will run to the door to see who it is. They always like seeing Larry and his "big brown delivery truck." **Note** A delivery truck is one of the many trucks in one of our many truck books so the boys always love seeing one in person. And I always add descriptive adjectives to just about anything that we talk about so that the boys will learn more words. And it works! They are AWESOME at colors!

Anyway, Larry delivered the first of many Christmas presents on this morning in early December. And I wasn't about to try and keep them from being opened. So the slew of presents begins.

"Tractor!" and "A man!"

Every tractor everywhere is always "Papa's tractor."

And if Kase comes upon a toy tractor or truck without a driver the following conversation will al.ways. ensue.

Kase: "Oh no, the man!" (said will great worry)
Me: "Oh, where did the man go?"
Kase: "I don't know."
Me: "Go look in the playroom. There are lots of men in there."

And off he goes to look for a man. About half the time he gets distracted by something else along the way.

"Thanks for the tractors, Aunt Brenda and Uncle Bruce!"

Quite Possibly The Only Thing That Will Make These Two Sit Still

2011-02-21T22:58:00.000-06:00

Suckers!

Who Likes To Take Off His Clothes And Run Around The House Naked?

2011-02-09T08:43:00.002-06:00

This guy!

A Quick Trip To Austin

2011-02-08T08:24:00.002-06:00

Our awesome photographer, Rachel Parkhurst (http://www.parkhurststudios.com/), was able to squeeze a family photo shoot in a couple weeks before Christmas. We met Rachel one Saturday morning at a park in Round Rock. She got some great photos of us, and I was able to use one for out Christmas (well New Year's) card. I'll post some of the best ones in another post.

We decided to make our trip South into a day of fun. We planed on getting the boys a play scape/swing set thing for their birthday. I found this great company who had a dealer in Austin so we stopped by to see what they had. We let the boys play on some of the models. They loved them all, and I know they will love having their very own "park" in their back yard.

We were not really sure what to do about nap time. We ended up just driving around until the boys fell asleep in their car seats. Jason ran into a sandwich shop, and we ate lunch in the car in the parking lot while the boys finished sleeping.

They got a decent nap in so we decided to take our chances and go to the Austin Children's Museum again. We spent a lot of time in the Mexican Heritage exhibit this time. I think because it was empty and the boys could have their run of the place. The drums and hats may have had something to do with it too.

And we couldn't leave with out visiting the huge train table. The boys loved it... again!

We had a nice day out of town as a family, and I'm glad we were able to fit it in among the craziness that is Christmas!

Not The First, Won't Be The Last...

2011-02-01T08:01:00.000-06:00

...black eye. Kase was sitting on the edge of his little chair when it slipped out from under him. He fell forward and caught his face on the edge of the table. His eye turned black within seconds. Just as that black eye was healing up, he fell at the playground, and the same eye was blacked again. These are some pictures of his second black eye.

I have a feeling that this won't be the last one!

Jingle Bell Run

2011-01-31T08:32:00.001-06:00

The boys and I joined Jenny and her friend, Spring, on the Jingle Bell 5K on December 5th.

We met at Jenny's house, just a block away from the start line. It only took me about 20 minutes to get the boys set up in the stroller with enough books, toys and snacks for the race.

If the hat fits...

The Chick Fil A cow stopped to tell Kyle and Kase hello.

The boys did really well. I hope to make this an annual event with the boys.

Oh, This Kid!

2011-01-30T22:09:00.001-06:00

For about 4 days Kase's snack of choice was an ice cream cone. No Ice cream. Just the cone. The crazy things these kids do just continue to crack me up.

And really? That face? He was so proud of himself. Too bad I made him get down after I took these pictures!

Thanksgiving

2011-01-05T11:10:00.001-06:00

I know... I'm just a little behind, huh? I'm determined to catch up though... I want to be able to write about the little things that happen each day. It makes me sad to think of everything that I've already forgotten.

Oh, well... I have to start somewhere. So back to Thanksgiving...

Jason got up with the boys Thanksgiving morning, and I was able to go for a morning run all by myself. I didn't have to stop once to pick up a sippy cup or break up a fight. It was nice.

Then we headed over to Jason's parents house for Thanksgiving lunch. The boys were excited to see everyone and loved the all the attention they got from Jason's cousins and Aunt. After lunch we all hung around until it was time for Jason and his cousin, Chris, to head to Austin for the A&M game. I heard it was a cold one, so it was a good thing that the Aggies won!

I took the boys over to my parents house for Thanksgiving dinner. Jenny had to work until about 2:00 and Megan and Ryan had Thanksgiving in Arlington, so it was just the six of us. It was very nice and relaxed.

At some point the boys started getting a little stir crazy so we sent them outside to the garage with Grandpa. They love climbing and sitting on Grandpa's tractors (the gater and the riding lawn mower). Mom, Jenny, and I left them out in the garage for a little quiet time. I swear they stayed out there for an hour.

We ate AGAIN and then the boys played us some after dinner music... Stevie Wonder style!

My Mom and Dad kept the boys Thanksgiving night and all the next day so that Jason and I could clean our house and put out Christmas decorations. This was the second year that they did that, and I think it will become a fun tradition for the boys.

I am so thankful for all of my wonderful family memebers. And thankful that I get to be the Mom to the two sweetest little boys!

Merry Christmas...

2010-12-25T08:37:00.002-06:00

...from the cutest boys I know!

I wonder if these two will show up on the naughty or nice list? It sure looks like they are up to something in these picutes!

Keepin' It Real

2010-12-24T08:09:00.000-06:00

I usually only post about the cute/ funny/ happy things that happen around here. Here is a reminder for me that it isn't all ice cream and butterflies!

Sometimes they are just ridiculous.

And I love them in spite of it!

My Late Night Workout

2010-12-23T08:06:00.001-06:00

Getting the boys' teeth brushed each night is equivalent to running an 8 minute mile.

After baths, and diapers (and tape for Kase), and milk, and pajamas, and a few books we head back into the bathroom so the boys can brush their teeth. They are always happy to do so... their toothbrushes and toothpaste have Thomas the train on them!

I'm usually out of breath from repeating myself so many times.

"Who gets the red toothbrush?"

"Who gets the blue toothbrush?"

"Yes, that is a red choo."

"No, you have enough paste."

"Yep, green choo."

"Eeeeeee, brush the front teeth"

"Boys, we brush our teeth in the bathroom"

"Kyle, don't touch the toilet paper."

"Kase, back in the bathroom."

"No more paste."

"Ahhhhh, get the ones in the back."

"Hey, back in the bathroom."

"Yeah, blue choo."

"Yuck, don't touch the toilet."

"Are you brushing?"

"Ok, all done? Toothbrushes back in the cup."

"Kyle, don't flush the toilet."

"Ok, back to your room."

By the time we get them to bed, I'm exhausted. And its only 7:00.

Kyle's Baby

2010-12-22T08:23:00.001-06:00

Kyle has a baby that we use as a device to get him happily into bed. The baby stays in Kyle's bed for the most part, and around bed time and nap time we ask him where the baby is. He is happy to get into bed so that he can lay the baby in the exact same spot and cover him up with his lovey.

Its funny... he loves to chew on one of the corners of his lovey, but he is careful to not pull the lovey off the baby. And sometimes he will even chew on the corner of his pillow or blanket instead so that baby can use the lovey. I think it is such a selfless and loving thing to do.

Kyle may be ridiculous with his demands at times, but he has such a loving heart. I turn to a pile of mush when Kyle looks up at me, touches my cheek, and sweetly says "Mom." And I about squeezed his head off when I walked out of our bedroom, dresses and ready to go church, and Kyle said "Momma pretty." Yeah, there may have been some training there!

Not Our Christmas Card...

2010-12-21T08:38:00.000-06:00

These pictures will not be on our Christmas card this year. I had grand ideas (as always) of getting some cute shots of the boys in their winter hats, but I didn't think any of them were Christmas card worthy.

Love this picture of Kase. Hate the dried snot all over his face!

And the rest of them were cute enough, but left me with no inspiration. So, onto the blog they go!

The Lawn Boys

2010-12-20T08:51:00.001-06:00

All THREE of my boys are a little obsessed with mowing the grass. Jason has even posted pictures of our grass on Facebook!

The boys both know the word "mower." And usually sometime during the fiasco that is getting them in the car, one will run over to the mower in the garage, touch it, and announce that it is a "mower, Dad's mower!"

Kyle and Kase were nice enough to help out with the yard work this Sunday afternoon, back in November.

Dad's Boots

2010-12-14T08:55:00.000-06:00

I think I've mentioned before that the boys really like shoes and boots. You run a risk anytime you want to sit down to put your shoes on.

Jason was not quick enough this morning and the boys jacked his boots.

Jason got a little excited when he realized that he and the boys were all wearing their Aggie gear. Whoop!

"Cool boots!" Everything is cool these days!

Love these guys!

And just for my records... the boys are both wearing size 7 shoes right now.

Toast Anyone?

2010-12-10T08:53:00.000-06:00

Apparently Kyle and Kase like their peanut butter sandwiches toasted. I'm not so sure this toaster will give them the results they are looking for!

At least they get it, right?

Sweet, Sweet Baby

2010-12-09T08:42:00.002-06:00

Our morning runs have been a little later that usual. I've been waiting until 9:30 or 10 to head out with the boys in the stroller so that the temperature can warm up a few degrees. We are out for almost an hour each morning, so the end of our run gets close to nap time.

This morning Kyle fell asleep in the stroller before I could get us all back home. And then he stayed asleep when I got him out of the stroller. And then he stayed asleep when I laid him on the couch. And he even stayed asleep while I took a shower and Kase played all around him.

Is there anything sweeter than a sleeping baby?

Issues

2010-12-08T08:55:00.001-06:00

We are having some issues in the Coats household. Diaper issues. And it is not so much we, as it is KASE! The kid will not keep his diaper on.

One minute Kyle, Kase and I will all be in the same room, and the next minute I will notice that Kase is missing. I'll hunt him down and find him standing naked, holding his diaper in his hand.

And Kase will take his pants and diaper off in his crib before falling asleep for naps and bedtime. One night I went in to check on the boys before I went to bed and found Kase sleeping, with no pants, on wet sheets. Jason changed the sheets while I tried to diaper and clothe a kid who just wanted to roll over an go back to sleep.

The boys have an Elmo DVD about going to the potty that they watch sometimes. They learned the word "potty" from it and have been known to bust into the bathroom and yell "Momma potty" from time to time.

Lots of times Kase would head to the bathroom and take his diaper off there. He would move the step stool over to the toilet and stand in front of it. Once I tracked him down, he would point to the toilet and say "potty."

Even though the boys were showing interest in the potty, I didn't think they were ready to be potty trained. I don't even like typing those words. The idea of potty training two boys scares me to death.

But, Kase was not letting up. I would find him naked in the bathroom like 4 times a day. So I thought I would facilitate the idea and let the boys pick out some potties at Target.

That trip to Target is one I will NEVER forget! Jenny was able to meet me in the parking lot so we took the boys inside, no stroller, no shopping cart. I had heard that it was best to let your kid pick out the potty so that they are excited about it.

I felt so overwhelmed once we found the potty isle. I had no idea what kind of potty to get. I didn't even know if little boys were supposed to stand or sit. Plus I had two almost two year olds running free in Target.

We ended up getting three potties that day. I know, 3 potties for 2 kids... a little excessive. I let Kase pick between the Elmo and the Diego ring. He chose Elmo. Notice that they are still snacking on their Chick-Fil-A breakfast!

And Kyle got to try out the other kind of potty. Jenny and I cracked up when Kyle sat side saddle on this one.

Kyle is new to this too! He figured it out though!

Kyle had made his choice and tried to carry it all the way to the registers. And this wasn't Kyle's only trick. Once we got to the register, Kyle reached in and pushed a button... which happened to be the off switch to the register computer. The screen went black... I was mortified! I walked out of there with my head hanging.

Not long after we got home with the 3 potties, they were given the ax. Kase was very excited about the new potties, but can't really figure out how to actually go. He ended up taking his diaper off even more and was never able to go in the potty.

So the potties were put up, and the duct tape came out. I started putting a ring of duct tape around Kase's diaper and it seems to be doing the trick. He even yells "tape" when he sees me coming at him with the roll of duct take and a clean diaper. And he usually doesn't even put up a fight.

I suppose if we are going to have issues, these are the ones to have. No one is worse off and we have plenty of stories to tell the boys' girlfriends when they are older!

Dancing Or Squishing A Bug?

2010-12-07T22:27:00.003-06:00

you tell me...

Bug!

2010-12-02T08:13:00.001-06:00

One morning I was snuggling with the boys on the couch when a moth, that got in the night before, flew over our heads. Kyle pointed and yelled "bug!" One second passed and I saw a little light bulb go off in his head. He jumped up off my lap and pulled me over to the front entry way.

He yelled "bug" again, plopped down on his belly, and pointed to a baby cricket that was on it's last leg. He must have seen/ played with/ possibly paralyzed the cricket earlier, and seeing one bug reminded him of the other bug.

It is so fun to get to watch their little minds grow and develop.

And I don't really know what is up with our bug issues. We don't normally have so many dead and live bugs around!

Decking The Halls

2010-12-01T08:56:00.003-06:00

I've been a member of the Junior League of Waco for about five years now, and this year I served as Vice Chair of Treasury for our Deck The Halls holiday gift market. In other words, I lived at the Waco Convention Center for four days straight.

I have been excited for the boys to participate in the Children's events since before they were born. Because I was busy with my Treasury duties and Jason went to College Station for a football game, my parents stepped in to chauffeur the boys to the events of the day.

First there was the Breakfast with Santa. There was Chick Fil A there, so it was pretty much awesome for the boys! I got to sneak away for a few minutes and check out how things were going.

Chick Chick...good! Milk...good!

The theme of the event was Pajama Time on the Polar Express, so all the kids wore their pajamas and rang their jingle bells to get Santa to appear.

Santa made his way around all of the tables, and we got to snag a picture with him. I'm hoping if we take enough pictures with Santa this holiday season, at least one will turn out. This wasn't it!

After breakfast and story time, my parents took the boys home to take a nap, and then brought them back to the convention center for the gingerbread event. I got to sneak away again, but by the time I got there the boys were done with decorating and had moved on to running around the huge room. There were lots of photo ops set up, but I didn't catch anything Christmas card worthy. Plus Kase had taken over my name badge and was wearing it around his neck.

The boys were fascinated by a fellow Leaguer's baby. They got right down by her, and she would just giggle and laugh at them. They loved it.

"Kyle, what's on your shirt?"
"Truck"

At one point, I looked back at our table and saw my Dad working on the gingerbread trains that the boys had abandoned!

When it was time to go, we all looked down at the BEAUTIFUL trains that the boys had made, but decided it would be too difficult to try and get them back to the car with the boys in tow. So I took some pictures so that I could always remember them.

Thank you to Jason and my parents for stepping in while I was gone for four days. It really means a lot to me to be able to support the women and children in our community.

My Little Helpers

2010-11-29T11:18:00.001-06:00

The boys are starting to get excited when I talk about them helping me. Kyle, especially, gets such a proud face when I thank him for helping me with something. They like to help load laundry into the washing machine and then put wet chothes in the dryer.

They have had a fasination with brooms forever. And then there is the vacuum and the dustbuster. With a little more training, I'll have these two cleaning the house in no time!

Seriously?

2010-11-25T09:45:00.001-06:00

I walked into the living room one morning to find the boys like this...

Kyle is sipping on his milk (shocking) in just his diaper and Kase is just chillin', reading the Pottery Barn catalog. Crack me up!

Ducks Like Carbs Too

2010-11-24T09:24:00.002-06:00

My friend, Cari, invited us over to go feed the ducks near their house. On the way there it started raining so we met up with Cari and Mase at their house to wait out the rain. The boys had a blast playing (and making a mess) with Mase's toys. Mase loves to throw balls as much as Kyle and Kase do, and he is really good at making baskets!

Once the rain let up, we followed Cari and Mase to the big pond near their house. Kase "needed" to take Mase's toy bus with him to the pond. He was sure to return it when it was time to go!

The boys really liked throwing pieces of bread to the ducks and watching them eat them right up.

Thanks for letting us come over and play Cari and Mase! We can't wait to do it again some time.

Cookies and Kyle

2010-11-23T08:54:00.002-06:00

After googling "twin costumes" with Lara one night on our couch, it was decided that the boys would be milk and cookies for Halloween. And when the question of who would be what was asked, we all laughed at the silly question. Of course Kyle would be milk... he drinks like a gallon a day. And Kase is often referred to as the Carb King. And his favorite carbs are the sweet ones.

Kase: unrecognizable toddler talk
Me: "what?"
Kase: more toddler talk
Me: "what?"
Kase: "cootee"
Me: "Oh, you want a cookie?"
Kase: "oh tay!"

My crafty sister, Jenny, whipped up a cookie costume after I sent her some links to some other home made cookies and also the link to the Pottery Barn Cookie costume that they were selling... for $49.99... on sale! No thank you!

Jenny was over for dinner one night when we were finishing up Kyle's milk costume. Luckily, my even craftier neighbor, Jamie was also over. She watched us stumble over a plan to make the milk and then lead us all over to her house so that she could sew up her masterpiece. In like 15 seconds. We also crafted a straw out of a wrapping paper tube and some grosgrain ribbon.

When Halloween arrived, Kase was all about his cookie. And seriously, can he be any cuter? I could eat him up.

Kase was also all about Kyle's straw.

But, so was Kyle. And that was all he was about. He would NOT put on that milk costume.

"Straw!!!" He knew exactly what it was even though it was ginormous!

No amount of coaxing was getting Kyle in that costume. So what can you do but go to a party as Cookies and Kyle.

Our friends, the Sykora's, have an awesome Halloween party each year. There were tons of kids running around everywhere. But, Kyle and Kase had something else on their agendas besides kids in costumes, candy, and games.

They had spotted the tractor! Jason and I spent the 45 minutes that we were at the party chasing the boys from one tractor (an actual tractor that was going to pull the hay ride later in the night) to another tractor (a golf cart like vehicle that was easy to climb up on). Their friend, Parker, also liked to play on the tractor and he even let Kyle wear his hat. Kyle loved that!

The boys got pretty crabby when we tried to get them from the tractor after 45 minutes, and Jason and I were tired of standing off to the side making sure they didn't fall off the tractors... or break them, or drive them, or lose the keys... So we headed home before the City closed the entrance into our subdivision.

Apparently our neighborhood is the Halloween hotspot in Lorena. People park at the bank and are able to safely walk from house to house to do their trick or treating. Neighbors decorate and set up haunted houses in their backyards. It was really neat to see, and I can't wait until the boys are bigger and really able to join in the fun. We just made it to two houses and headed back for baths and bed. And Kyle still wouldn't wear his costume.

Once back at home, we flipped on our porch light, and Jason handed out pencils (they were a hit!) and candy while I gave the boys a bath. The boys got quite a haul for only visiting two houses, so for their hard work I let them have a sucker... in the bath tub!

They had to brush their teeth extra long to get all of that blue off their mouths!

It was a fun Halloween, but I know we have even more fun in our future. And I can't wait!

The Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-23T08:47:00.001-06:00

Jen and Harper invited us to their play group date at the pumpkin patch. I had grand ideas of getting a cute picture of the boys together among the pumpkins, but that didn't quite happen.

Kyle was all about the pumpkins...

...all about throwing them... not so much sitting next to them!

Kyle was not so interested in my perfect back drop of pumpkins!

This was the only shot I got of both of them by the pumpkins... at least they have cute little tushes!

The pumpkin patch was at a church that had a playground. The boys really wanted in that playground... luckily if was protected by a fence.

Not quite the picture I was going after... but still kinda cute!

I didn't get the cute fall photos that I wanted (probably because it was close to 90 degrees), but the boys still had fun getting to run around. And we will try it again next year!

Playin' In The Rain

2010-11-22T09:22:00.001-06:00

The boys were playing outside one day in October when it started raining. They weren't quite ready to come in from playing so they stood under the patio and watched the rain fall for a while. They both thought it was pretty cool!

Cuddly Kase

2010-11-18T08:15:00.001-06:00

Both of the boys like to cuddle... and I love that they do! Jason was home when Kase and I were laying on the couch cuddling so I asked his to get a couple pictures of us. They didn't turn out the best, but I know I'll look back at them in 20 years and just love them... especially since I'm usually the one behind the camera and don't make it in many photos.

Lovin' This Weather

2010-11-17T17:29:00.001-06:00

Here in Texas, we don't get much of a Spring... Summer usually hits us in full force, but this year we have had such a nice Fall. It finally started to cool down a bit in September, and October was so pleasant. And that meant lots of outside play time for the boys.

They are old enough that I can send them outside by themselves for a while. I may have to break up a fight over one of the cars (even though we have two of everything) or give out some hugs and kisses after someone takes a spill, but its always nice to get a few minutes of quiet.

One Sunday afternoon in October, I set the boys up to color outside on their picnic table. Kyle colored and Kase drove his truck all over the back yard. The road trip started on the table so that he could bug his brother.

Kyle was pretty serious about his coloring... no truck was going to slow him down!

The truck took an off road trip under the table...

... and then through one of the flower(less) beds.

Man, I love these guys! When I can manage to keep everyone happy, days like this are just so fun!

The Pencil Picker Upper

2010-11-13T08:24:00.002-06:00

I picked up some Halloween pencils at the Target One Spot to pass out on Halloween. (Don't worry, I got candy too. I didn't want to be known as the lady who hands out pencils instead of candy to Trick or Treaters.)

Anyway, when I got them home, I set them on top of the TV components that we try to keep safe by surrounding with the baby fence. Maybe not the smartest thing to do because the boys just wanted (and did get) inside the fence to get the pencils. I would find them spilled all over.

One day, Kyle asked me to hand him the little bucket of pencils. I gave them to him and he sat and played with them so nicely. He would fill up the bucket and them spill them out and do it all over again. I tried to get him to sort them into the different colors, and he did that for a while, but had more fun making a mess and picking them up again.

Dinner With Friends

2010-11-12T11:01:00.002-06:00

One Sunday night in October, we had our friends, the Warren's, over for dinner. We let the boys stay up a bit past their 7pm bedtime. So that meant that the adults would have to eat dinner with four little ones still up and running around. Obviously, we only had one option... to send the kids outside to eat their dinner! Caden and Claire are both good eaters... like even with vegetables! I think Kyle and Kase followed in their footsteps because I have never seen them sit and eat so well. They both ate rice and black beans like it was going out of style. And Kase tried unsweet tea in his sippy cup for the first time. He liked it! Kyle stuck with the water!

The kids sat and ate and then entertained themselves long enough for the adults to have a quiet dinner... even if it was only 5 minutes.

Kase wore the proof of his good dinner all over his face.

Next was bath time. And because dinner and dessert ran a little late, Claire climbed in with the boys as well. The boys had a good time showing Claire their bath markers and crayons.

HOT Fair and Rodeo

2010-11-06T08:55:00.003-05:00

We took the boys to the fair on Friday, October 8th. Jason and I left work a little early so that we could get home, scoop up the boys, and get to the fair with enough time to see everything. We were there from about 5pm to 7pm... the witching hours. We knew that one wrong move could send us all to Melt Down City.

As we entered the fairgrounds, the pig races were just starting so we sat down and watched for a while.

After the pig races, we walked toward the midway to check out the rides and see if the boys were able to ride any of them. When I saw the little train, I knew Kyle was about to go crazy. I crossed my fingers as they stood next to the sign indicating the height requirement. They were about two inches too short, and I was getting ready for a melt down. The woman operating this ride was watching us and informed us that if the boys rode together the height requirement would be waived. Pretty sure those weren't the rules, but whatever! Melt down averted.

They loved it! You can see Kyle saying "choo choo" in that last picture. Too cute! We bought enough tokens to ride the carousel too. I love roller coasters, slides, and rides of all kinds, but for some reason I was so relieved when that carousel stopped. I was with Kyle and this point and he wanted me to hold him rather than sit on the horse. Maybe that had something to do with it.

Next we went inside the ag barns to see the animals. This little set up was just asking for a photo op... major fail! I'm not sure what is up with Kyle's dear in the headlights look!

This nice man asked if the boys wanted to get close and pet the calf. I thought that as really sweet.

Our friends, Deborah and Asa, met up with in the ag barn. The three of them had a blast running around this pen of goats. The boys are about 6 months older than Asa, and it scares me to think of the trouble that those three are going to get into as they get older.

As you can see, this was a sunglasses day for Kase!

We stopped for some yummy fair food. The boys loved the funnel cake and french fries... big surprise!

On our way out we stopped by the display of tractors and other farm equipment. Pure bliss!

Family tractor picture. Don't we totally look like we know our way around a tractor!

Seriously, this kid had never been happier than this moment!

But all good things must come to an end. And our end was a loud one, full of flailing arms and legs. We had to peel the boys off the tractors while Kyle screamed "My truck, my truck" at the top of his lungs. So we had one melt down at the end, but I'd like to think it was worth all the fun the boys had.

I Wear My Sunglasses At Night...

2010-11-05T08:51:00.001-05:00

Actually, this was during a nap, but I couldn't resist the title. There were a few days in October when I don't think Kase went without a pair of sunglasses. He even wore them in the bath once. Funny kid!

The Fair Is Coming To Town

2010-11-04T08:45:00.001-05:00

We took the boys to the parade on October 5th to celebrate the Heart of Texas Fair coming to Waco. I told them all about the horses, and bands, and trucks, and cars that they would see at the parade for several days, and they seemed intrigued by it all.

Jason and I opted to skip the stroller, so after parking in the lot for Jenny's building downtown we made our way to the street... Kase in my arms, Kyle in Jason's. I'm not sure the boys really knew what to think. They both had these stoic looks on their faces. They watched everything and were happy to stay in our arms, but they were not all that excited about it...

That is until Aunt Jenny (Min me) made it down.

Kase started waving away to everything that passed in front of him.

And Kyle perked up too. They even managed to snag a few pieces of candy for their dear ole' parents!

I love that the boys are getting old enough to do fun things like this! And I love that there is so much more fun to come!

Now That's Talent!

2010-11-03T18:38:00.000-05:00

Three hats all while riding a tricycle! I see a bright future for this one!

Morning Milk

2010-11-02T08:07:00.001-05:00

My alarm is set for 6:25 each morning. I grab a couple of sippy cups of milk out of the fridge and head into the boys' room. Kyle is usually whining a little bit and Kase is usually still laying down and waiting quietly. I hand the boys their milk and they asks for Blue's Clues. Both boys sit on the couch with their milks, and we all watch a couple episodes of Blue's Clues while we all wake up. Kyle sucks down his milk and asks for more within a few minutes. Kase may take a couple sips of his and will set it down. After Kyle's second round of milk he will stalk out Kase's left overs.

This morning sunglasses were required!

Kyle really loves when this blanket is left out. The three of us snuggle under it. It is one of my favorite times of the day... even though I'm only half awake and so sleepy.

Aggie Game Day

2010-11-01T17:40:00.002-05:00

The shoe obsession... only one of about 20 obsessions right now! If you want to put shoes on in front of the boys, you better do it fast. And forget about socks. You will never get both socks and shoes on before one of them gets to you and jacks a shoe or sock. Both boys love to point out shoes and state who's shoe it is. "Mom, Mom's shoe. Dad, Dad's boot."

A ball and a shoe... Kyle's version of paradise!

"Hmmm, now let me think... where did I leave my pants?!"

Ah, sweet brothers!

The Aggie's first conference game of the season was at Oklahoma State on a Thursday night. My Dad helped us get the TV installed on the back porch just in time for it. We invited some Aggie friends over to watch the game and they showed up during bath time so the boys had to meet and great everyone in their pajamas!

Kyle and Jackson playing a little catch. I hear Jackson has quite the arm!

Maddie's turn to play a little ball.

We had a good time with our friends who came over to cheer on the Ags... even though they lost. And thanks to the Pitts kids for wearing out the boys before bedtime.

If Only This Would Last More Than Five Minutes...

2010-10-29T08:36:00.002-05:00

The boys sat and colored so well together the other day. It was only for about five minutes, but it was nice while it lasted!

Austin Children's Museum

2010-10-28T08:59:00.001-05:00

Several months ago the groupon.com deal of the day was a year long membership to the Austin Children's Museum for 4 people. I jumped on it.

Then, one weekend in September, Jason was out of town for a bachelor party and I didn't feel like staying at home with the boys all weekend. I asked Lala to come with us so that I was not outnumbered by the boys. I also texted my friend, Laura, who lives in Austin, to check out her plans for the day. She actually had plans to go to the museum in order to escape the Texas football game so we were able to meet up at the museum.

The boys really enjoyed the museum and getting to play with Makinley and her friend, Grace.

The museum had this AWESOME train table. Kyle was in heaven.

And Kase liked it too!

We took a group picture before Grace and Makinley had to leave... turned out pretty cute!

I promise that is a hug, and not a choke hold!

We still have 10 months left on our membership and I can't wait to take the boys back again.

Destructo-Kase

2010-10-27T08:54:00.001-05:00

Kyle likes to build towers....

And Kase likes to knock them down...

Luckily, Kyle is usually okay with it because that means he can build another tower.

I Knew It Was Too Quiet...

2010-10-26T09:51:00.001-05:00

Well, Color Me Happy...

2010-10-25T09:28:00.002-05:00

Kyle really likes to color. We keep a set of washable crayons on the fireplace mantle and he asks me to get them down every now and then. I picked up this big Thomas The Train coloring book and he really likes to lay down on the floor and color in it.

And sometimes I make crazy face just to get another smile out of my babies!

These days the crayons are on lock down. Jason has scrubbed blue off the fireplace, and I've cleaned various colors off the kitchen floor, bathroom cabinet, and living room wall. With two busy boys going in two different directions it is hard to keep an eye on Kyle and the crayons.

Remember?

2010-10-24T09:17:00.001-05:00

Remember this cabinet?

I found it at a used furniture store, and my Dad made some changes to it, painted it black, and we got glass inserts put in it. It is one of my favorite pieces and I can't wait to actually decorate it one day.

Remember when Kyle tripped and his head shattered one of the pieces of glass? And actually that fluted glass bowl was chipped to.

Well, we had new tempered glass inserts put in it. And the boys are not allowed to touch it.

They are not allowed to open the doors.

They are not allowed to take out the picture frames.

And they are definitely not allowed to crawl in it.

Oh, these boys! Listening in not their strong point. When I catch them playing in this, they will bring me one of the wedding pictures that I keep inside and point out "Mom" and "Dad." And they have such a proud look on their face that it is hard to get mad at them!

Pumkin Muffins

2010-10-23T09:11:00.001-05:00

I'm getting pretty excited for fall even though we are all still wearing shorts. The temperatures have been great around here lately. It is basically never too cold or too hot to play outside any time of the day.

I made these pumpkin muffins and luckily it was warm enough to send the boys outside to eat them. I really don't know what I'm going to do when it gets cold. I wonder if they would eat while in the bath tub!

FYI... I'm counting pumpkin muffins as a vegetable because that is about the only way the boys will eat veggies!

Just Checking

2010-10-22T08:57:00.001-05:00

Last month when I was getting items ready to sell in the Just Between Friends Consignment Sale (got a check for $300 by the way), I pulled out these cute Halloween hoodies. I wanted to make sure that they were too small for the boys. Halloween was just over a month away, and I thought maybe they could wear them again this year.

Yeah, not so much! The sleeves came just past their elbows and their tummies hung out the bottom!

"Oh, my belly button!"

"Kase, what does she have us wearing now?"

"Truck, Big, Big Truck"

2010-10-21T17:55:00.001-05:00

The same builder that built our house has started another project on the lot next door to us. When we got back from our run on the day that the foundation was poured, I let the boys sit outside a while and watch truck after truck pull up on our street and dump concrete into the forms for the foundation. They love it!

Our good friend, Corey, works for the concrete company and stopped by to check on things and to pay us a visit.

Kyle was all about getting to see the big truck up close, but was kinda freaked out when the driver pulled on the horn. Thanks for the backstage pass, Corey!

**Notice**
Good neighbors needed! Next door neighbors can make it or break it. And we want good ones! We are going for two out of two here! If you know someone looking for new construction in Lorena ISD send them our way... unless they don't like kids, drive loud trucks, or don't cut their grass!

Practice Makes Perfect

2010-10-18T08:56:00.006-05:00

The boys are still learning how to use a fork and spoon. And they make a HUGE mess when practicing. When I can, I send them to the back yard without a shirt and a bowl of yogurt or applesauce so they can work on their form.

We have a little picnic table that they sit at, but this day, Kyle decided that he wanted to sit on his four wheeler and eat his yogurt. Crazy kid!

The boys stopped for an applesauce break during one of the last swim suit days of the summer.

And then after dinner, I gave them chocolate pudding for the first time... it was a hit!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

2010-10-16T09:22:00.004-05:00

We had a few days a rain in September that forced us to stay inside. But, that didn't stop Kyle from playing. He turned the cushion to the chair into a slide.

Down he goes... what a mess!

"Can we please go outside and play?"

**Side note** The boys wore these shirst a week later, when it was chilly outside, but not raining. I tried to put another long sleeve shirt over Kyle's shirt, but he would not let me because it would cover up the car. He just kept pointing to his shirt and saying "car"!

The New Obsession...

2010-10-15T09:24:00.001-05:00

My sister, Jenny, (who the boys call MinMee) gave the boys this Melissa and Doug Train for Christmas last year. They hadn't really played with it much until about two months ago. Kyle plays with it all the time now and sometimes it is even his 'toy to take to bed' choice. He calls it a choo choo.

He even lines the cars and trucks up on the back of the Pottery Barn chairs to make a train.

Kase is more into just playing cars. He makes 'vroom' noises as the cars drive all over the house.

Love that bedhead!

I love this face! He makes it all the time. He kind of looks down and makes his eyes big as he looks up.

So needless to say, a train set is now on the boys' Christmas list!

"Choo Choo!" You can make out what his little lips are saying.

Are these the cutest kids ever, or what?! I mean, really!

Blocks!

2010-10-14T09:27:00.001-05:00

I ordered several laser print cartridges for work and mistakenly had them shipped to our house instead of work. The boys got very excited when the UPS man rang our door bell and even more excited when he left us two big boxes to open. I opened up the boxes and Kyle exclaimed that there were "Blocks!" inside. They spent like 20 minutes stacking them up and knocking them down. Toner cartridges can be fun! Who knew!?

Goodbye High Chairs

2010-10-13T09:20:00.001-05:00

Before each mealtime, it was about a 50/50 chance if the boys would decide to sit in their high chairs to eat their meal. I was usually so desperate to get them to eat their food that I would let them sit at the kitchen table if it would keep one of them from throwing a fit and getting too upset to eat. I was afraid that one of them would fall from a chairs, so while we were in Houston, I ran into IKEA to grab this little table while Lala drove around the parking lot with the boys.

They love eating at their own little table, and they do really well for the most part.

But, because I can't strap them down I am left with this scene quite often. The boys will get distracted and leave their plates of food. Sometimes they will come back and eat some more, but I still end up throwing away food a lot of the time.

A Pair of Wrecking Balls

2010-10-12T09:09:00.001-05:00

One weeknight, several weeks ago, both Jason and I had something to do after work so my Mom stayed late and put the boys to bed. As she was about to leave, I walked into the playroom and saw this tall tower made out of blocks. She had made it for the boys after they went to bed because she knew they would be so excited to see it in the morning!

After they got up the next morning, I followed them down the hall toward the playroom. They were giddy with joy at the sight of the tower.

They made a run for it....

...and the tower was down before I was even in the room.

The boys are so lucky to have their Gibi. She would do anything for them... especially when she knows it will paint a pair of smile across their faces!

The Houston Children's Museum

2010-10-11T09:40:00.003-05:00

It took most of the summer, but we finally found a weekend to go visit Persis in Houston. Persis and I lived together in Waco while she attended Law School at Baylor.

Lara and I loaded the boys up in the car Saturday morning and headed to Houston. We got there around lunch time. After a stop at Persis and Matt's new house we, we met another friend, Casey, and her two boys at Chick-Fil-A. We all ate lunch and then headed over to the Children's Museum. I had heard great things about the museum and they ended up to all be true. There was a large area called the "Tot Spot" that was just great for the boys.

We just walked behind the boys as they ventured from this to that and back to this again. At one point I remember imagining with Casey that the tot spot was at our house. If that were the case, I don't think I would ever see the boys... they would never stop playing. There were so many neat things for them to do.

The gigantic Lite Brite

Kyle was in heaven... a light switch at his level!

Doorbells, switches, knobs and latches... paradise...

I laughed that Kyle stopped to play with a toy that we have... one that he never plays with at home!

Casey was nice enough to host us at their new house Saturday night. She and Jon made dinner for us and then Kyle and Kase took a bath in her big bath tub.

Lara helped me put the boys to bed, and then we stayed up way too late talking over several glasses of wine. The next morning Casey took us to a park area near her house. The boys played in the spray fountains, and then we all had lunch at a great pizza place that was next to the fountains.

Although this visit was not like any other trip that Lara and I had taken to Houston, we still had a great time. And I know the boys had a blast... and that is really all that matters.

Thank you so much to Persis and Casey for hosting us. We can't wait to come visit again soon.

Family, Food, and Fun

2010-10-10T21:05:00.002-05:00

The first morning we were in Nebraska, my grandma made pancakes for everyone. Kyle and Kase ate up!

They also got to see their second cousins again. Devin and Logan were so excited to see Kase and Kyle. Kase and Kyle were all they could talk about for days before we got there. We all laughed when we noticed that Devin would call each of the boys "Kase and Kyle" like that was both of their names.

Devin got to eat pancakes that morning too!

I have so many memories from when I was young of my Grandpa sitting in his chair and yelling at my cousins and I to "stop bangin' on that piano." So we made sure to tell the boys to play loud enough so that he could hear them playing in heaven!

Logan is such a sweet, sweet little boy. He played so well with the boys while we were there.

And his little brother, Devin, well....

...well, he is pretty sweet too! Devin and Logan got to spend time with us while we were there instead of going to the babysitter.

Kase enjoyed snacking on the dozens of cookies that my Grandma and Aunts had made. Well, we all did!

I turned 30 years old on the Saturday that we were in Nebraska. Jason, Jenny, and several cousins helped me celebrate it while floating down a nearby river. We had such a good time together.

The next day, Sunday, we had a big meal and everyone drove in to spend time together. There were so many people, but even more food!

My cousin Tom's son, Owen.

My cousin, Seth, giving a big hug to Logan.

More piano playing, with my Cousin Shannon's oldest daughter, Jenna.

Logan liked Kyle and Kase's duck bath towel!

The great grandkids... Jared, Olivia, Devin, Logan, Jenna, Grant, Kase, Owen, Pipper, and Kyle. Missing Nevaeh and Brenden

Some of the cousins... back row: Tanya, Shelby, Ashley, Leanna, Jessica, Tom, Me, Jenny; front row: Jeremy, Shannon, Seth, Amy, and Jewell. Missing Chad, Megan, Trisha, Cassie, Laura, Kelly, Tabitha, and Brandon. Yeah, there are TONS of us!

Tom and Pippy Lou!

Piper and her Grandpa.

Shelby and Jenny

Kyle telling the baby goodbye.

Tom and Owen

Kyle giving hugs...

that turned into wrestling...

The city park is just a few blocks up the hill from my Grandma's house. We used to spend hours at this park when we were little. The playground equipment has greatly improved!

Kase pulled the popper toy up to the park and then pulled it all around the tennis court. Seth was happy to follow him around to keep an eye on him.

I about fell over while I watched Kase climb up this thing to get to the slide. The kid is such a monkey.

I brought along some of Kyle and Kase's favorite foods and snacks. Devin and Logan really liked the peanut butter cereal so someone picked up another box for them while they were in town.

Logan gave Kyle and Kase hugs before he and Devin left to go home.

Devin, Kyle, Logan, Kase, and Nevaeh

Kyle and Kase getting in a little more piano playing

We tried to get some picture the morning we left, but the boys were not interested in sitting still. Little did they know that they were about to sit for another 12 hour car ride home!

Thank you to everyone who helped host us again this year. We had such a great time I am so grateful that the boys got to spend time getting to know all of our family. See ya next year!